The Mind

The first stroke is always the most awkward.

It takes two before the paddles can generate enough force to create the momentum for the boat to travel forwards.

It all starts from your abs. The wind up in the abs is the source from which the force then goes through your pectorals to the bicep, triceps, forearms, then your hand pulls back against the paddle, like a trigger to a gun, that pulls the water away from you and moves the boat forward.

Repeat.

After so many repetitions lactic acid starts to set in. The feeling of my forearms ready to explode is the feeling of success. I know I am pushing myself hard enough. I need more.

I paddle until my muscles burn and my veins pump battery acid; then I paddle some more.

All I can think about is the next stroke, the next move.

A flat boat is what truly keeps it all together.

It's more of an art really.

The animosity my mind has towards my muscles for wanting to quit on me is what keeps me going through a work out.

Some people ask how I stay motivated. It's the simple destruction of every single muscle fibre I use. The stiffness, the soreness, the exhaustion.

I love getting in amongst the aerobic pain every fall and winter. Its almost as good as the easy technical sessions all summer.

It's the purpose that drives us. It's the challenge of beating yourself.

Ask any real athlete and the true nemesis is the mind.

Some people say the battle is on the field of play. That is a very small part of it. It's behind the scenes where the battle takes place.

I call them the three F's: Fatigue, failure, and fear. Every athlete has faced them, and the best have over come them. That's what separates the champions from the competitors.

The mind is the final battle.

Plans

As of now, I am unsure of what is going to happen in my life.

All I know is this Sunday I am leaving to Australia for a given amount of time which is still not an assigned number.

I am also unsure of what I am will do myself without school. Probably just train my butt off and work on that guitar of mine.

There's an update for you guys!

Aj

Milestones

The first thing that came to your mind when you read Milestones, well for some of you at least, you thought I was talking about the major chain restaurant. Well if thats what you thought your wrong. When I say Milestone I mean a momentous time in life at a certain place and time frame during your life. For some people its birthdays, driver license, car, first job etc. I could go on forever. I have narrowed down my small life into three Milestones.

1. My acceptance to NSS

2. First World Championships in France

3. My birthday, as it was the greatest day in history.

(just kidding)

3. Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day I write my last high-school test. Scary huh?

A lot of things are running through my mind and unfortunately one of them isn't math. My mind is racing with University, Australia, growing up, and the washer that just clicked letting me know my laundry needs to be dried.

It's a cray feeling. When something for twelve years (for me twelve and a half) has been something you did in a five on two off shift work manner. Somedays it drove me crazy and somedays it made me happy. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a sad day though. I have finally made some concrete friendships at this school since September, and it all went by so fast.

I probably won't get invited to grad which sucks to but thats beyond the point I have come to realize. What I have come to realize is that high school went by in a blink of an eye.

You can almost say it was a thing of beauty.

An anonymous poet said "You can catch or miss beauty in the blink of an eye, thats what makes it beautiful"

This quote has helped me realize how important this twelve and a half years has been.

I have learned, succeeded, failed, and even worked my butt off even though some people think I didn't.

These years have been the years that I will probably forget someday's and others I will treasure each and everyday for the rest of my life.

Tomorrow will be the end of one chapter and a beginning of a new one. I hope that my new friends will be in this next chapter as some of them, I have a feeling, will be friends that I will still know in the next five years.

Life is like a growing plant, if you don't grow with it your gonna fall behind.

Well I guess thats what new with me. I will post more new and exciting things tomorrow!

And as always, I'm goin with it :)

Hope all is well

Aj

Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine. ~Robert C. Gallagher